ferment

American  

[fur-ment, fer-ment] / ˈfɜr mɛnt, fərˈmɛnt /

noun

1. Also called organized ferment.  any of a group of living organisms, as yeasts, molds, and certain bacteria, that cause fermentation.

2. Also called unorganized ferment.  an enzyme.

3. fermentation.

4. agitation; unrest; excitement; commotion; tumult.

   The new painters worked in a creative ferment.

   The capital lived in a political ferment.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to act upon as a ferment.

2. to cause to undergo fermentation.

3. to inflame; foment.

   to ferment prejudiced crowds to riot.

4. to cause agitation or excitement in.

   Reading fermented his active imagination.

verb (used without object)

1. to be fermented; undergo fermentation.

2. to seethe with agitation or excitement.

ferment British  

noun

1. any agent or substance, such as a bacterium, mould, yeast, or enzyme, that causes fermentation

2. another word for fermentation

3. commotion; unrest

---

verb

1. to undergo or cause to undergo fermentation

2. to stir up or seethe with excitement

Other Word Forms

• fermentability noun
• fermentable adjective
• fermenter noun
• nonfermentability noun
• nonfermentable adjective
• nonfermented adjective
• nonfermenting adjective
• unfermentable adjective
• unfermented adjective
• unfermenting adjective
• well-fermented adjective

Etymology

Origin of ferment

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin fermentum “yeast” (noun), fermentāre “to cause to rise” (verb), equivalent to fer(vēre) “to boil” + -mentum -ment ( def. ); fervent

Example Sentences

As of 2025, sales of fermented products, such as sauerkraut and kimchi, have increased as more Americans seek to improve their overall gut health, The Wall Street Journal reported in November.

From Salon

They fermented inside him till they emerged as poetic images and metaphors—“nature, red in tooth and claw.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Using an assembler in Germany, it takes grape juice, ferments it with bacteria which does not produce alcohol, and adds Chinese green tea to offer complexity and tannins.

From Barron's

Overall, the evidence does not support the idea that full-fat dairy causes dementia, nor that fermented milk products reliably protect against it.

From Science Daily

Its bananas-and-caviar service is a case in point: fried bananas layered with horseradish cream and topped with two ounces of ossetra caviar, served alongside plantain waffles and a fermented banana-peel butter.

From Salon

Related Words

• commotion
• disquiet
• excitement
• frenzy
• restlessness
• tumult
• turbulence
• unrest
• upheaval
• uproar